By @coreflexpilates, founder @chrisbardawil
Take time to notice how nature makes you feel. Nature inspires us everyday…the sun rising, birds flying in different shapes, ocean waves on summer holidays, the rain cooling off on a hot day. Although going outdoors and taking in nature for our health has been popularised in the last few years, this is nothing new. The term “ecotherapy” was originally coined and written about by Theodore Roszak in the 1960’s. His believed that our modern lives leave us feeling disconnected and that we can get this connection back by getting in touch with the natural world.
This can be broken down into a few key points so you can start to benefit from nature in your everyday life.
Listen
You’ll be amazed how much you can hear by just tuning in and really listening to nature. Birds singing, rippling water, the rain falling, the wind breathing movement into trees. These sounds are healing. Make sure to be aware of them when you can. When you're travelling or at home and want to unwind, you can listen to nature sound playlists on spotify.
Outdoor Exercise
Take a lunchtime walk outside, use outdoor gyms for your workouts, go for a run in the park or a walk with a friend. Studies show that you need at least 120 minutes in nature per week for optimum health.
Bring Nature Indoors
Keep indoor plants, hang paintings of nature on your walls, change your desktop background to one of nature, paint rooms in calm natural colours, open windows to improve the quality of your home's air or use an air purifier in rooms you spend most time in.
These are just a few ideas but the main idea to remember is that when we forget this reality, our mental health suffers. When we lose sight of our need for clean air, water, food, and sounds, both Earth and people sadly suffer.
Ecotherapy suggests these harmful disconnections are repairable. We might simply go for a walk, feel the breeze on our skin, or observe flowers budding up in a neighbours garden. These actions reconnect us to our very nature. Setting a simple intention such as these supports our emotional well being and strengthens our connection with ourselves and others.
